(a) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an integrated high-voltage battery housing. More particularly, it relates to an integrated high-voltage battery housing adapted to secure safety against side collisions while reducing the weight of a vehicle by integrating a connecting structure between a battery housing and a side member of a chassis of the vehicle.
(b) Background Art
A hybrid vehicle refers to a vehicle driven by two or more types of power combined with efficiency, where a driving power is generally obtained by combining a driving power of an engine using fuel and electric power of an electric motor having a high-voltage battery. Such a vehicle is also called as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a conventional structure of a battery housing 10 for fixing a high-voltage battery to the interior of a chassis of a vehicle. FIG. 6 shows a top perspective view of the conventional high-voltage battery housing 10. FIG. 7 shows a bottom perspective view of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of a side portion of the conventional high-voltage battery housing 10.
As illustrated in the figures, the conventional high-voltage battery housing 10 includes a bottom housing 11 for loading a high-voltage battery and a plurality of battery fixing brackets 12 mounted to the interior of the bottom housing 11 that are configured in a way which fixes the high-voltage battery to the housing 11. Additionally, the housing 11 also includes side fixing brackets 20 coupled to a chassis side member 1 (as shown in FIG. 8) at a side portion of the bottom housing 11 in order to fix the bottom of the housing 11 to the chassis side member 1. A cross member 30 is also provided on the bottom surface of the to bottom housing 11 in the form of a bar and is configured to support the associated with the load of the high-voltage battery housing.
The cross member 30 extends to opposite sides of the bottom housing 11 to be coupled to the side fixing brackets 20 and is coupled to the chassis side bracket 1 through the side fixing brackets 20.
Referring to FIG. 8, the side fixing bracket 20 may be formed by welding a top bracket 20a and a bottom bracket 20b, where the bottom bracket 20b is coupled to the cross member 30 while the top bracket 20a is coupled to the chassis side member 1 through engagement of a bolt 22 screw-coupled to a aperture formed on a top surface of the top bracket 20a and a pipe nut 24.
Bottom housing connecting brackets 32 may be provided between one or more side walls of the bottom housing 11 and the cross member 30 to prevent distortion of the bottom housing 11 and to firmly fix the bottom housing 11 further.
However, the high-voltage battery housing has the disadvantages as follows.
First, a space is formed between a side wall of the bottom housing 11 and the side fixing bracket 20, which are separate parts, where a battery and a chassis are easily deformed and damaged during a side collision of the vehicle. That is, an impact on the battery housing 10 cannot be effectively distributed and the side fixing bracket 20 may be introduced into the battery housing 10 during a side collision of the vehicle, causing serious damage to a to battery cell within the housing. Furthermore, the support force of the side fixing bracket 20 supported by the cross member 30 of a bar type is not strong enough to prevent deformation of the chassis side member 1, thus, causing the chassis side member 1 to be vulnerable to an impact.
Second, the cross member 30 configured to supporting the bottom surface of the bottom housing 11 increases weight and the number of parts, considering the support force for the battery housing 10, i.e., the strength effect against a collision of the vehicle. This results in an increase in vehicle weight as well as the cost for the parts.